No-Work-No-Pay For NPP MPs

The Young Social Democrats is disappointed in the decision taken by opposition NPP members of parliament to boycott their roles and duties contrary to what is stated in the country’s constitution which, before taking their seats in Parliament, took and subscribed before the Speaker and in the presence of the members of Parliament, the oath of allegiance and the oath of a member of parliament of the republic of Ghana.

This action is not just a total disrespect to the constituents they represent but the entire Ghanaian population whose taxes are used to pay salaries and allowances. The NPP’s action is baseless, unjustified and unconstitutional. It is instructive to observe that honourable members of parliament could bow to pressure from the National Executive Committee to engage in such unacceptable act that has implication for our parliamentary democracy.

The doctrine of "no-work-no-pay" is a fundamental axiom in industrial relations. The philosophy is very simple. When a person is employed, it is expected that the work assigned will be carried out. When this work is not done, the employee is not eligible for payment of any salary.

It is in this vein that the 1992 Constitution for parliamentarians to receive salary for the services they provide. Article 98(1): A Member of Parliament shall be paid such salary and allowances and provided with such facilities as may be determined in accordance with article 71 of this Constitution. However, as Ghanaians, we indeed believe that using our contributions or taxed money to pay for the services that we don’t receive is totally wrong and we demand that government place a hold on salaries and allowances of Members of Parliament who decide to by choice refuse to perform their constitutional mandates as representatives of their people and for that matter the Ghanaians people.

As much as they are entitled to salaries and allowances, they should be prepared and available to work and earn their salaries like many other Ghanaians do at their places.

The Young Social Democrats is a network of young professional who share in social democratic ideals.